At a campaign stop at the legendary Cafe Versailles in Miami's little Havana neighborhood, Newt Gingrich served up his toughest critique to date on Mitt Romney's claims on creating jobs.– Follow the Ticker on Twitter: @PoliticalTicker

Gingrich seized on a new Romney campaign ad that defends the former Massachusetts Governor's record when he led the private investment firm, Bain Capital.

The ad states Romney and Bain created "thousands of jobs," not 100,000 jobs as the former Governor has previously claimed.

When asked about the ad, Gingrich laughed.

"He's now himself changing his claim," Gingrich said.

The former House Speaker called on Romney to produce records from his tenure at Bain to prove his claims.

"He's still not prepared to release any documents from Bain to prove anything," Gingrich said.

Last month, Romney told Time Magazine he and Bain created 100,000 jobs.

"And so I'll compare my experience in the private sector where, net-net, we created over 100,000 jobs. We created over 100,000 jobs," Romney told Time.

That jobs claim does not appear in the new Romney ad.

"Mitt Romney helped create and ran a company that invested in struggling businesses, grew new ones and rebuilt old ones, creating thousands of jobs," the spot states.

In an interview with CNN, Gingrich questioned Romney's claims.

"I'm saying that he misstated the facts," Gingrich said.

A new ARG poll finds Romney and Gingrich in a statistical dead heat for the upcoming South Carolina primary.

Gingrich, who has come under sharp criticism from conservative pundits for his attacks on Romney's Bain record, appeared to be pivoting away from the topic at events in South Carolina on Thursday.

But in his remarks to a packed crowd of Cuban Americans inside the Café Versailles, the former speaker defended his comments, saying the issue is fair game. The Florida primary comes just ten days after South Carolina.

"If he can't stand up today and defend his claim today, how is he going to stand up to Obama in the fall," Gingrich asked.

The former speaker pointed to a recent Washington Post fact-checking column that gave the 100,000 job claim "three Pinocchios."

Gingrich admits he has now abandoned his previous pledge to wage a positive campaign for the GOP nomination. But only, he says, because Romney attacked him first.

"You either unilaterally disarm and quit or you decide you're going to match," Gingrich told CNN.

Gingrich, who has previously said he would not tolerate any misstatements from the super PAC, gave no indication he has a problem with the "King of Bain" spots.

The same fact-checking column gave the anti-Romney flick "four Pinocchios."

A new Gingrich campaign ad compares Romney to former Massachusetts Democratic presidential candidates Michael Dukakis and John Kerry.

Gingrich brushed off the possibility the comparison could damage the GOP, in the event Romney becomes the party's nominee.

"The Obama people will figure out their own line of attack," Gingrich said.

"Let him explain his record. It's certainly not a conservative record," the former speaker added.

UPDATE: In a paper statement on Friday afternoon, Newt Gingrich called on Winning Our Future, a super PAC supporting his presidential bid, to edit or take down advertisements and a 30-minute documentary-style film critical of Mitt Romney and Bain Capital if they contained factual errors but he listed no specific problems. He then called on Romney to do the same.

"I am calling for the Winning Our Future Super-PAC supporting me to either edit its "King of Bain" advertisement and movie to remove its inaccuracies, or to pull it off the air and off the internet entirely," he said.

He said accuracy in advertising is a "two way street," and repeated his criticism of ads produced by the Romney campaign and their allies.

"Furthermore, I am once again calling on Governor Romney to issue a similar call for the Super-PAC supporting him to edit or remove its ads which have been shown to contain gross inaccuracies, something the Governor has thus far refused to do," he said in the statement.

soundoff(106 Responses)

I don't care how many jobs he created. I'm more concerned with how many jobs destroyed. I want to see his tax records. There is something he does not want the public to see. SHOW US THE RECORDS!!!!

January 13, 2012 11:36 am at 11:36 am |

Rudy NYC

Of course, the 100,000 claim is bogus. The more jobs they created meant lower profits. Romney offers no proof to back up his claim. Would you trust him and take him at his word? The ad is turning the 100,000 claim into yet another flip-flop.

January 13, 2012 11:41 am at 11:41 am |

gg

newts -contract on the middle class –made it easy for people like romney to make millions shipping jobs overseas

January 13, 2012 11:41 am at 11:41 am |

Jeff

Not only do I want to see the tax records I also want to know all about those records he destroyed when he left Mass. What is he hiding?

January 13, 2012 11:48 am at 11:48 am |

Woman In California

And so I'll compare my experience in the private sector where, net-net, we created over 100,000 jobs. We created over 100,000 jobs," Romney told Time.

PROVE IT WILLARD!

January 13, 2012 11:54 am at 11:54 am |

GOP is lost

I'm confused.
irst, I thought the GOP stance on jobs was that "Government don't create jobs". So why is Romney and Mitt say they created jobs a Speaker and as a Govenor.

Second, I thought the GOP was all about supporting corporations (that they say are people) the job creator. But now all of Mitt's competiton are attacking Bain Capital!?!?

January 13, 2012 11:56 am at 11:56 am |

Anonymous

Hey Newt – If you really want to hurt Romney, you should insist on having Bain's Mission/Vision statement made
public. Not the crap on their websites, but the real secret thing.

January 13, 2012 11:57 am at 11:57 am |

Al-NY,NY

Keep it up Gingrich. You are starting to get to him.

January 13, 2012 11:58 am at 11:58 am |

cali girl

Good for Gingrich, way to put up your dukes and go after Mitt.

January 13, 2012 12:02 pm at 12:02 pm |

Sorensen

Hey Newt – If you really want to hurt him, you should insist on seing and make public the Mission/Vision statement of
the Bain companies. (Both). Not the crap from their websites, but the real thing, that they insist all their clients should
have. Not only would that sink Romney forever, but it could probably cut the value of Bain in half.

January 13, 2012 12:02 pm at 12:02 pm |

Sandy

Go Newt! LOL

I'm no fan of Newt, but he and Perry are doing the citizens of the USA a favor. They are bringing the horrible business practices to light.

The funny thing is that the establishment Republicans are forced to defend "vulture" capitalism because they are supporting Romney. Republicans are admitting that they are the party of VULTURE CAPITALISM. LOL

January 13, 2012 12:03 pm at 12:03 pm |

Fair is Fair

"I'm confused.
irst, I thought the GOP stance on jobs was that "Government don't create jobs".
------–
Government can only create an environment that is conducive for entrpreneurs to assume risk of providing a product or service which is wanted by enough customers and modelled in such a way as to result in a profit for the risk-taking entrepreneur(s). What is so hard to understand about that???

January 13, 2012 12:10 pm at 12:10 pm |

Stephen in VA

The horribly ugly side of Wall Street that Romney's experience at Bain represents isn't something the Republicans should be proud of, or commending for its representing capitalism.

January 13, 2012 12:12 pm at 12:12 pm |

Silvia Marquis

Mitt Romney Is trying to count jobs of companies that managed to burn the leech (Bain Capital) off and survived. Then there is Mitt Romney's commercial trying to take credit for Staples. Staples as a start up and now Mitt Romney is claiming credit for all it's jobs. Then there is the Steel mill that local and state governments bailed out along with a sales tax increase form everybody in the area. In short Mitt Romney is a proven Liar but for some strange reason his lies are called Flip-Flops meaning he is truthful regardless how many time he tells contradicting stories about the same issue or thing. To the point Mitt Romney's claims of job creation are simply not true because he never created any jobs here. Mitt Romney out sourced jobs to China and Mexico. Mitt Romney has cost US jobs.

January 13, 2012 12:13 pm at 12:13 pm |

Annie, Atlanta

Well, over the last several days Romney has claimed 100,000 jobs created, 10,000 jobs created, and thousands of jobs created. Isn't there a media outlet left in this country that can do investigative journalism, and get to the bottom of this? There's also some confusion on how much taxpayer money was used to bail out Bain. I've heard anywhere from ten million to 44 million. Please, CNN? Someone? There has to be a way to find out, no? Or are you going to just stick with the infotainment for profit model?

January 13, 2012 12:14 pm at 12:14 pm |

kat

Please stop the in-fighting ! We need to come together if we really want to get this clown out of office ! Our country has been divided enough.

January 13, 2012 12:14 pm at 12:14 pm |

stranger in an increasingly strange land

The Newt himself is an incredible job creator. Along with his Republican cronies, the Newt has created thousands, if not millions, of jobs in Mexico, South America, China, Korea, Vietnam, India, the Whole Asian Cresent. Almost all of them were jobs taken from Americans and shipped overseas to line the pockets of the afore mentioned cronies, but lets not quibble. The Newt is the more prolific job creator by a long shot.

Not to say the Newt did not create jobs in America. He helped the banks add people until they ran themselves into collapse. Then more jobs were created when the banks had to add people to handle throwing all the unemployed Americans (see job creation above) out of their homes, when those people were foreclosed on.

The Newt must be almost deliriously happy at the sight of all those jobs working out so well for his Republican buddies.

January 13, 2012 12:17 pm at 12:17 pm |

SC voter

Sic'em Newt!

January 13, 2012 12:20 pm at 12:20 pm |

Randy, San Francisco

Thanks to Newt and Perry Democrats will have talking points for anti-Romney political ads in the general election. Hope they keep up the attacks and drum up with new and creative political talking points!

January 13, 2012 12:24 pm at 12:24 pm |

Jariv

you are correct Kat. We need to come together and back Romney. Do you agree. Kat- Yes I do.
🙂

January 13, 2012 12:25 pm at 12:25 pm |

Woman In California

I just read this and it is WELL worth repeating. Thank you Linda. You have the post of the day!

Lynda/Minnesota

"I hate to bust Obama's perception of economics, but the fact is companies do not go into business with the primary focus of creating jobs."

Neither do corporate raiders, which is exactly what Mitt Romney's job at Bain was. To cut and run. With as much profit as he could get for he and his handful of investors. Then go on to the next company, repeating the process, leaving nothing but disaster in his wake. All in all, he's not quite the job creator he pretends to be, no matter how you and others try to spin it. Bain employees admit they weren't in the "job creating" business. Why Romney chose this line for himself is obvious. How well it plays out is yet to be seen. There was no product he was producing other than millions of dollars for himself and his crony friends. Be that as it may, it's how he made the profit which is driving the conversation. Very few have the lack of character necessary to pursue this particular line of business. Those that do ought to be honest enough to admit they do it for greed of power and money.

January 13, 2012 12:27 pm at 12:27 pm |

Pam from Iowa

Come on Newt! We all know he is lying, but we all know you can't tell the truth either!
You both were poured from the same mold!!!

January 13, 2012 12:30 pm at 12:30 pm |

Nash

Go Newt! The attacks are working. Who needs a job killer as President at the a time when unemployment is this high. If what Romney did at Bain is Capitalism, why are they blaming the President for high unemployment. It is the result of the same capitalism. I can envision conservatives trying to explain this with their idiotic one liners. Capitalism is good but it has been hijacked by idiots who have distorted it into the failure it is today.

January 13, 2012 12:34 pm at 12:34 pm |

Woman In California

kat

Please stop the in-fighting ! We need to come together if we really want to get this clown out of office ! Our country has been divided enough.

Sweetie, it's just beginning to heat up. IF your darling Willard can't play the role he should EXIT the stage NOW because we're coming for him make no mistake about that.

January 13, 2012 12:36 pm at 12:36 pm |

Rudy NYC

Sandy laughed:

The funny thing is that the establishment Republicans are forced to defend "vulture" capitalism because they are supporting Romney. Republicans are admitting that they are the party of VULTURE CAPITALISM. LOL
---------–
The mistake was the bald attempt to take the attention off of Romney on defensive by trying to spin the discussion into an attack on capitalism. By taking the spotlight off of Romney, they have lit all of themselves up. Look at all of the skeltons!

The Republican Party has got to be infected by some sort of brain disease or something. They keep shooting themselves in the foot and their aim just keeps getting better and better because of all the practice.